Small, light, thin 380 for pocket carry

603Country said:
I am looking for a carry 380. This would be a pocket pistol. I looked at a Sig P238 and liked the size, but not that I’d have to thumb the hammer back prior to use. I’ll have a look at the Ruger LCP II and the Bersa Thunder. I like that the Bersa has a safety and decocker, is DA/SA, and has a good trigger, all of which I am used to, having a Beretta PX4 Type F full-size. But, I read that the Bersa isn’t small. The Ruger is small and DA only, but how is the trigger?

What do you folks have that you like, or don’t like. And did I miss something on the P238?
Click to expand...
Glock 42...not the smallest but a good 'goldilocks' size..Had a LCP and altho really small, also really disliked how it felt in my hand plus a quite snappy wee gun.
Glock small enough to pocket..I do all the time with a 'ClipDraw'..plus very reliable, accurate.
 
Hello,

I liked my little LCP. Not the II, just the original. I got rid of it because it had no soul, and I don't do anything that I can't carry my big 1911 to.

Were I to get another .380, it would be another LCP.

Regards,
Josh
 
2ND P3AT Kel-Tec. It started it all and everyone copied it. I've been carrying mine since they first came out. Always works and is very accurate.
 
I'll be selling a Beretta Pico soon. Too small for me to use effectively and I've found a J Frame revolver to be a better option. I don't pocket carry.

Thinnest .380 out there, I think.
 
Wouldn't the manual of arms of a P238 be cocked and locked?

I watched a guy go through a 2 day reflexive shooting course with a P238. He did very well and other than needing a butt load of magazines to keep up with people using service pistols he kept right up there.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
 
I really liked the P238, but just didn’t like the idea of having two options - carry with a live round under the hammer or carrying cocked and locked. I could be Ok with the live round under the hammer, since I think there’s a hammer block, but then I’d have to thumb back that little hammer in a stressful situation if I had to use it. Sweaty thumb and small hammer spur.
Click to expand...

That is twice that you mentioned liking the P238. I carry one once or twice a week for the last three years as a pocket pistol. Never found the safety off. Mind you, I use a pocket holster that covers both trigger and thumb safety. I consider it completely safe, though. If you aren't comfortable with it, so be it, but I hate to see you ditch a pistol you like under a mistaken impression that it is unsafe to carry in its intended state. The safety clicks on and off quite decisively.
 
Kel Tec P3-AT

I have the Kel Tec P3-AT and when I need small pocket carry, it goes into a pocket holster in my right front pocket. Can't hardly tell it is there. It's mostly an up-close and personal kind of gun but at five yards I can get acceptable groups. It's really small. I put an after market wrap on type grip and I think that helps a bit.

Life is good.
Prof Young
 
You can get the dimensions and weight of many pocket pistols and visually compare them at http://www.mouseguns.com/pocketautocomparison.pdf (last revised in 2011).

I have the Sig P238, Ruger LCP, and the Bersa Thunder in .380 and the Kahr CM9 in 9mm. I agree with others that the Bersa is not really a pocket pistol. I shoot the Sig P238 much better than the LCP and it is only about five ounces heavier and about a third of an inch longer and higher. I carry the Sig cocked and locked in a pocket holster covering the trigger. The only time I prefer the Ruger is when I'm wearing shorts in the summer with no belt --- that's when I can tell the difference in weight.

I often pocket carry the Kahr CM9 in anything other than lighter-weight shorts in the summer. Good trigger and extra power. Something to think about.
 
Kel-Tec P3at, Ruger LCP, Taurus Spectrum.
With the LCP you have a true DAO action with a fairly long trigger pull. Think double action revolver. The LCP II has a pre-cocked hammer with less trigger pull, and only the trigger dongle as a safety. The P3at Kel-Tec operates the same as the original LCP.
The Taurus Spectrum is different in that it has a non-pre cocked, true double action only striker instead of a hammer.
In comparison for pocket carry, the Bersa is a Mack truck in size.
 
One absolutely under-rated .380 is the Remington RM380, very comfortable to shoot, mine is super reliable and eats everything I feed it, unlike my daughters S&W Bodyguard which is ammo picky or the Taurus TCP she had which was a total pile of crap that didn't survive its first range session and took Taurus 16 weeks to "repair".
 
After hearing from you guys, and a lot of internet research, it seems that the Ruger LCP II, the Kahr CW380, and the Taurus 738 TCP are the ones I most want to handle.
 
I bought a used Tuarus TCP a few months ago for $75 with the box and all the paperwork. The seller said he had trouble racking the slide. Its not the slide tension as much as the slide is slick and the gripping grooves are small. But once you try it you figure it out pretty quick.

Its the only 380 I own and the first time I have bought factory ammo except 22 in decades and I was shocked at the cost. But I have over 300 rounds now and have as much in ammo as I have in the gun. But the gun has been 100% and shoots good. At close range.

I haven't tried any other 380s as I really don't care that much for the round. But it has its place and in this little pocket pistol its about perfect. I doubt I will ever buy another 380 but I am glad I have this one. It does every thing I want a pocket auto to do.
 
I like that the Bersa has a safety

The Ruger is small and DA only, but how is the trigger?
Click to expand...

The LCP II is not DAO. It is SAO with a trigger safety. The hammer is fully cocked.
The LCP Gen 1, 2, and custom are DAO with the hammer only partly pre cocked a small amount.
For a pocket "belly gun" the quality of the trigger is pretty much meaningless. You're not shooting target matches with a 380 mouse gun. It's a point, and shoot, close range self defense pistol.
Also how recoil sensitive are you? Many complain about the snappy recoil of the tiny 380 pocket pistols.
I am getting the impression with your talk of safeties, DA/SA, decockers, and trigger feel that any mouse gun may not be to your liking. Or may take some serious range time to get used to.
Seven yards, big targets, and love s f shooting. Not 25 yard "target" practice.
 
Yup, I mistyped on the Ruger. As for trigger quality, I can’t agree that it doesn’t matter. Regarding safety, I am a belt and suspenders guy, so the more safety options the better. I like what the Bersa Thunder offers, except for the size. The wife has a S&W 380 EZ, and I really like it, but it’s too big for what I want. Just ran about 50 rounds through it. And about 50 through my 357. Not recoil sensitive particularly.

I really like the 380 EZ, so maybe I’d better have a closer look at the S&W Bodyguard.
 
People are recommending the Seecamp.

Perhaps they don't know the company has totally fallen apart in making functioning firearms after it was sold several years ago?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top